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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

TMNT

Cowabunga, dudes!

The 80s was a funky time to grow up in, when kids have a wide, and I mean really wide selection of cartoons to watch, and not to mention the toys tied in to make billions. I can rattle off the toons like Mask, Silverhawks, BraveStarr, and the earlier GI Joes and He-Man, etc. It was a period of time where I celebrated in my shorts, but I vividly remember that growing up phase when somehow, the toons didn't start to appeal anymore. Probably I was maturing (ahem), and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was caught in this transition stage I was in.

Not that I didn't enjoy the episodes on television, but they looked kiddy-ish. If you've read the original comic books by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, you'll know what I mean. Gone were the dark, gritty tones, replaced by smiling turtles who for reasons of getting the nod for acceptable screen violence, do not use their weapons. You wonder why they're outfitted with deadly katanas, nunchuks and sais, but decide to use things like dustbin lids, manhole covers and the likes to fend off The Foot. That's bullshit.

Then again, the demographics for the cartoon series were different, and mainly to feed the demand for the merchandise, and the toys were created with infinite number of permutations and combinations. Things got sillier when they're dressed with strange disguises, just to make that extra buck on a toy.

Don't get me started on the earlier movies too. While Jim Henson's puppet house created almost life-like ninja turtles, the story stank, and again, to cater to the target audience, the weapons once again became white elephants. Shredder and The Foot Clan were chief villains, together with Bebop and Rocksteady, but it all played out rather childishly, reminiscent of the cartoon series. It drifted far away from the original source material, and the sequel, which featured a Vanilla Ice cameo, made it all the worse.

I'm glad to say that this animated TMNT met expectations, thankfully, giving mature audiences beautiful animation to gawk at, coupled with a decent story. Decent, not fantastic, as it had rehashed certain plot elements from the first movie, and the usual Leonardo-Raphael feud. Set in an era post-Shredder, where our heroes in a half-shell are taking it easy and living their own lives, it added a hokey mythological dimension to introduce some new villains, and given its short runtime, made it seem all like a rush job, given that a montage was slapped to move things along.

Then again, this movie probably was never about the villains, but a celebration of the return of the once beloved characters. It put the spotlight firmly on Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, together with their master Splinter, ex-newscaster April O'Neil, and vigilante Casey Jones. The villains serve their purpose of being turtle fodder, and an excuse to see our heroes utilize their weapons for once (though again, no blood is spilled, but they used their weapons, so I'm a happy camper). Central to the theme of getting together back again is that of Brotherhood, and our heroes grit and show their teeth just like in the comics, rather than the red tongue in the cartoons.

Michelangelo still remained my favourite turtle of them all, and I think he's the best animated character in the movie, given his many goofy expressions, and his larger than usual eyes. The voice talents are something to marvel at too - Chris Evans (Casey Jones), Sarah Michelle Gellar (April), the late Mako Iwamatsu (Splinter, and also starring in Cages), Patrick Stewart (Max Winters), Laurence Fishburne (Narrator), Zhang Ziyi (Karai), and Kevin Smith as an anonymous diner.

Writer-director Kevin Munroe got his formula and played his cards right for this movie, and his next film is Gatchaman, yet another piece of animation I grew up with. Looking at the preview stills, it might look like a hit, and given his adequately entertaining take on TMNT, with a sequel suggested, I can't wait. I'd say again, the animation is great, and the soundtrack rocked too. Thank goodness it didn't contain any cheesy lines or tune from the cartoon's theme song.

They're the world's most fearsome fighting team (We're really hip!)They're heroes in a half-shell and they're green (Hey get a grip!)When the evil Shredder attacksThese Turtle boys don't cut him no slack!

Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Splinter taught them to be ninja teens (He's a radical rat!)Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines (That's a fact Jack!)Raphael is cool but crude (Gimme a break!)Michelangelo is a party dude (Party!)

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About Me

I'm a Singapore based film buff and a keen supporter of Singapore films good and bad. I've been writing about Singapore Cinema and Singapore film-related activities since 2005. I am also a contributing writer at movieXclusive.com, TwitchFilm.net, and Sinema.sg.